Functional vs Dysfunctional Relationships

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Codependency and Codependent Relationships. Sandra C.

Anderson, Ph.D., Emerita Professor at Portland State University, describes "codependency" as a pattern of painful dependence on compulsive behaviors and on approval from others in an attempt to find safety, self-worth, and identity. Shawn Meghan Burn, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the California Polytechnic State University, says “Codependent relationships are a specific type of dysfunctional helping relationship.
" Burn defines a codependent relationships as a dysfunctional helping relationship where one person supports or enables the other person’s addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-achievement. People with a predisposition to be a codependent enabler often find themselves in relationships where their primary role is that of rescuer, supporter, and confidante.

These helper types are often dependent on the other person's poor functioning to satisfy their own emotional needs.
Want To Be Mentally Tough? Stop Doing These Five Things. There are a lot of ways to get stronger.

Adding more resistance, adversity, or stress is one way, learning how to adapt to the challenge is another, and adopting dialectical thinking (see blog post 9/23/14) is another. Yet for all of these ways to get stronger, without removing the obstacles in our own approach to adversity, we will see little gain. So if you want to get stronger mentally, here are five things to stop doing right now. Stop Off Loading Responsibility. Mentally strong people know what is their responsibility and what is not. Stop Taking Things Personally. Stop Forecasting. Let Go Of Illusions. Stop Holding On To The Past.
It Takes Just One Question to Identify Narcissism. Ohio State researchers believe they have developed and validated a new method to identify which people are narcissistic.

And, the beauty is that the tool is only a single question. In a series of 11 experiments involving more than 2,200 people of all ages, the researchers found they could reliably identify narcissistic people by asking them this exact question (including the note): To what extent do you agree with this statement: “I am a narcissist.” (Note: The word “narcissist” means egotistical, self-focused, and vain.)

Participants rated themselves on a scale of one (not very true of me) to seven (very true of me). If you are curious about the test or want to know how narcissistic are you? Results showed that people’s answer to this question lined up very closely with several other validated measures of narcissism, including the widely used Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). “People who are narcissists are almost proud of the fact. Source: Ohio State University.

Codependency vs. Interdependency. I was surprised to learn that this grove of aspen trees is actually one organism, sharing one root system.

Each of us also is a community of 70 trillion cells that work together. Biologist Bruce Lipton believes that together we’re “one collaborative superorganism.” I love that Facebook allows us to connect one-to-one all over the planet. Society is highly specialized and interdependent, so that few of us would know how to survive without running water, electricity, and a supermarket. We’re also dependent upon our personal relationships. The Debate Many claim that because we’re wired for dependency, “codependency” is normal and shouldn’t be considered a problem. Codependent Couples Codependent couples usually are out of balance. Like the aspen trees, on the surface each may appear to be physically, and even mentally and emotionally, independent, yet at an unconscious level, they’re two insecure adults dependent upon each other to express a whole.

How to Tell if You Are Codependent: 12 Steps. Edit Article Two Methods:Top Ten ListContribute Below How can you tell if you are a Codependent, with all of the differing definitions out there?

This may be difficult to realize, despite over 60 years of public documentation and support on the subject. It is especially prevalent in people in the developed world, and among certain (caregiving) professions. Children are more dependent, of necessity; but adult Codependency is simply unpleasant -- mostly for you, but also those who have more than passing interactions with you (although the first impression you give may be great). Although an understanding of Codependence is difficult to condense into a definition, a good working definition of it might be, "Underdeveloped self esteem (dysfunctional boundaries) combined with an inappropriate caring for others (invading a boundary), and an inappropriate reliance on another's response (having poor boundaries), in a negatively reinforcing loop".